Reclaim Our Stolen Breath
by killtheenviousmoon
Summary: The war has ended. The Light has triumphed and the Dark is forever vanquished. Or so it seems. Tom Riddle is sent to 1998 by his future self to finish his mission. TomHermione.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I know this may come as a shock to you, but I own nothing but the plot. The title of this story is from the song, "I am a Revenant" by the Distillers, which I encourage everyone to listen to.

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**Reclaim Our Stolen Breath** by **killtheenviousmoon**

_Chapter 1_

Sinking into the plush cushions of the couch in the Head Boy dormitories, an astonishingly handsome, dark-haired and pale adolescent gazed into the flaming embers of the roaring fireplace. This boy's name was Tom Riddle and tomorrow he would graduate Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the place he has called home for the past 7 years. Although he would miss the school were he learned of the great, powerful things he had the ability to do and just how "special" he was, he was voraciously thrilled for what was soon to come. Without rules, regulations and the maddening Dumbledore watching his every move, his unchecked power would soon grow to be more powerful than anyone has ever seen. Whilst the flames danced in his eyes, he smiled a nefarious and wicked smile.

Suddenly, a deafening crack assaulted the ears of young Tom and his head whipped with astonishing celerity to the source of the disarray. Before him was a deathly pale, inhuman being with slit instead of eyes that blazed a burning red, not unlike the flames that were aglow in Tom's eyes just moments before. He was the most powerful being of all time, Lord Voldemort.

Tom immediately lashed out his wand and furiously demanded, "Who are you and tell the truth!" The snake-like creature began to chuckle and replied, "You and I are one in the same. I am Lord Voldemort." Tom's expressionless mask was only betrayed by his eyes, which gaped upon Voldemort with shock, awe, but most of all, admiration.

The Dark Lord continued with a high, but commanding voice, "I am from the year 1998. We have almost succeeded in completing our mission of world domination and the cleansing of the magical race. I have but one obstacle in my way, and that is a mere boy named Harry Potter; however, he shall not be an obstacle for long for I am destroying him tonight. Now, I have come here today as another precaution to ensure my continued existence, just in case by some impossible reason, something goes wrong with my plan. If this occurs, I want you to travel to the year of 1998 to finish what I have started. You will know if my plan fails in approximately one hour. Everything will be explained. But, now, I must leave and finally put an end to this war." He smiled a nefarious and wicked smile, and as abruptly as he came, Lord Voldemort vanished with a violent crack.

Tom realized he had not taken a breath since his future self began speaking. He stared at the spot the Dark Lord had once been, trying to wrap his head around all the information he heard. He must have been standing in shock for an hour because again, out of thin air, a package appeared with a dull thump falling to the floor.

Opening the foreign parcel, it read, "Tom, if you are reading this, I have failed…" His future self had lost the war and he would go to the year 1998.

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Please review! Or you won't be able to see the damage that Tom inflicts in the future! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: If I was J.K. Rowling, do you really think I would be writing stories on a fan fiction site? I didn't think so. I own nothing but the plot.

A/N: I am so sorry it has taken this long, but school is really kicking my ass. Anyone who sees the allusion to Lord of the Flies, receives my undying praise.

And a side note about time travel: As soon as Voldemort decided to go back in time to warn Tom, it created an alternate time line, thus when Tom goes into the future, everything that occurred in the past still occurred.

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**Reclaim Our Stolen Breath **by** killtheenviousmoon**

_Chapter 2_

Tom voraciously drank the potion that he had been brewing for days. In the package he received by his future self, all that was contained was ingredients for a time-traveling potion and a small piece of paper with two words written on it. As it burned down his throat, he braced himself for what was soon to come. Then, he felt it.

The room began to spin and he felt his body ripping in half. He began to be pulled into a black abyss, when he feverishly groped his robes to find his wand and screamed, "Reliquus Posteritas!" A blinding light flashed with a resounding boom and then all went black.

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"Master!"

"Master, wake up!"

When Tom opened his eyes, they were assaulted by the bright daylight. Blinded until his eyes became adjusted, he tried to regain some feeling in his numb limbs.

"Master!"

He looked to source of the high-pitched noise and saw a… house elf.

"Master, you received a letter this morning!"

The elf thrust an envelope into his hands, bowed, then vanished with a crack. Although thoroughly confused, Tom kept his face guarded. Opening the letter, it read, "Tom, that was Voldie… your family's house elf. He has been the Merridew's house elf for the past couple of centuries. Yes, I wrote this correctly. You are the last surviving heir of the Merridew family, a rich pureblood, but muggle-loving family. Unfortunately, all of the Merridews were murdered by Lord Voldemort due to their beliefs, except for you." Tom snickered at the irony.

"Because of the tragic event, you, who have been previously home-schooled all your life, will be transferring to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You shall be receiving this letter momentarily.

Obviously, I have failed in continuing our mission in my present state; however, you must finish what I have started. Of course, you must start from scratch, but now you can learn from the mistakes I made and become even more powerful. The world is yours.

Much luck,

Lord Voldemort"

Tom took in his surroundings and was impressed by its sheer size. Light streamed in through the large windows, the marble floors glistened, and emphasized the lavishly decorated interior, which rivaled Hogwarts in its beauty. He felt as though this is how he should have been living his whole life. But, Tom would not complain. Money could do nothing but help his conquest.

Tom burned the letter to destroy any traces of his future self. Then, as expected, another owl came flying in bearing the Hogwarts seal. It dropped in his hands and as he opened the letter, he saw the words,

"Dear Mr. Thomas Merridew, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and have qualified for the position of Head Boy…"

Tom was excited for what his future held: power, domination, and eventual immortality. But he also was excited for what led ahead of him in the near future: Hogwarts. Deciding to buy his school supplies and catch up on 50 years of what he had missed, he raised his wand and apparated to Diagon Alley.

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Strolling the streets of Diagon Alley, Tom was taken aback. The once grandeur and magnificent alley had been reduced to complete ruins. The stores had been demolished, a fire ran rampant, and the sky was a blood red. And yet that is not what stunned Tom. Everyone, even in this destruction, was celebrating. Boys and girls were laughing, dancing along the charred streets. Adults were crying tears of happiness, hugging everyone in sight. They were alive. This horrifying war had finally come to an end, and they were alive.

Tom smirked. Everyone was blissfully unaware that the Dark Lord was still in their midst.


End file.
